It was a long flight back to the headquarters. Despite the wreck occurring not far outside of the city, it was still over a mountain, and they were flying against the wind. Vanna couldn't help but start to nod off; her entire body, although without injury and pain, was still fatigued. She still couldn't fathom how or why such an awful accident happened, and now she was being transported away on a private helicopter.
What did they want with her? Why would the CEO himself want to speak with her? They were likely taking her back for questioning. That would make sense, after all, given that — as far as she knew — she was the sole survivor of the tragedy…
All she could do was hope for the best.
It wasn't long until the young woman's shoulders slumped as the tiredness caught up with her. She nodded off, falling into a light sleep as they flew the rest of the way there. Shizuka looked at her for a while with an unreadable expression, but turned away the second Vanna stirred.
~~~
A while later, they arrived. Vanna was still half asleep as Shizuka ushered her into a towering building. As soon as they entered, there was someone who had seemingly been awaiting their arrival.
"Why me?" the man demanded. He had flowing white hair, rounded tiger eyes, and a long flicking tail — and he didn't bother to hide his irritation.
"You're the only one who isn't busy, Liu Bai," Shizuka replied with narrowed eyes. "Show her to her room and give her a brief tour of the notable parts of the building. It's a simple task."
"I need to keep meditating, else my qi stops circulation properly," Liu Bai said haughtily, turning his nose up at the command.
Vanna looked around the entrance of their headquarters, tuning out as the two proceeded to argue as if she weren't even there. The building was extravagant as one would imagine from such a prestigious and wealthy figure, especially one with the popularity of Quynh Lê. The interior featured a mix of urban and natural elements, like perfectly manicured tropical plants and hanging vines draping down from the ceiling. From the architecture and decor, down to the employees that worked there, everything seemed to be on an entirely different level of life than Vanna had ever dreamed of.
Well, other than the strange tiger cosplayer in front of her. What was he wearing, anyway? Was it from an anime or something?
Aside from the obvious peculiarity of his long hair, ears, and tail, he was dressed in traditional hanfu. It seemed incredibly impractical to wear, not to mention the ornate scabbard on his side… wait, was it just a scabbard?
Vanna's eyes widened when she realized the weird man was actually armed with a whole-ass, legit metal sword. It couldn't have possibly been fake with the level of intricacy and detail put into the hilt that poked out from its sheath.
Seriously, what was wrong with this guy?
Above all, he was talking back to Shizuka, who was quite possibly the scariest woman Vanna had run into in her entire life. Did he perhaps have a death-wish?
"Liu Bai, I will tell Quynh if you continue this insolence," Shizuka threatened, her voice having risen in volume. "Your qi definitely won't be able to circulate if you have no arms and legs, which is what he will punish you with. It involves the girl, after all."
That was when Liu Bai looked at Vanna for the first time since they had entered the place. His eyes were cold and catlike as he gave her a once-over, seemingly unimpressed.
"Oh," he deadpanned, "this is it?"
"Did you just call me 'it'?" Vanna asked in disbelief.
Liu Bai completely ignored her inquiry and looked at Shizuka. "Fine, I will adhere to your request. However, do not slander my good name in Quynh's presence."
"Make sure you have her at CEO Quynh's office by four," the black-haired woman replied. "That is when he will be ready to meet with her. Miss Vanna, excuse his poor manners. This is Liu Bai, another important member of Mr. Lê's team. Somewhere beneath that vile and pretentious exterior is a good man – or so I am told."
"Only the gods can judge me, Shizuka," Liu Bai said in his usual monotonous tone. "Too much hatred fills your heart. You'll never commune with the heavens at this r—"
"See you soon, Miss Vanna. I leave you in his… capable hands," Shizuka said, giving Vanna a deep bow before departing.
"...It's nice to meet you, Mr. Liu Bai," Vanna greeted, fighting a grimace. She held her hand out in offer, expecting a handshake.
Unsurprisingly, the man looked down at her hand as though it were a foreign object. Rather than returning the gesture, he simply put his arms together and gave the slightest traditional bow.
"Yes, you are quite lucky to become my acquaintance," he answered with his whole chest, as if those words were the most natural thing to say. "It is rare to meet someone who has reached such a high level of cultivation like myself. Regardless, it is pleasant to meet you, too."
Vanna opened and closed her mouth several times while she attempted to conjure a response… but she came up with nothing. Rather than addressing the abysmal greeting, she asked him, "So, she said you would show me to my room and perhaps a little tour on the way?"
"Ah, yes." Liu Bai gave a single, affirmative nod. "Your temporary residence. Come along, then."
Vanna heaved a sigh of relief. At least she wouldn't have to try and hold longer conversations with him this way.
Liu Bai led her down a long hallway with an excess of strange rooms branching off of it… None of which her guide bothered to explain. She couldn't help but feel curious when they were passing an open room with dim lighting. It was filled with large fish tanks containing fish she had never seen before. It was almost like a small aquarium, and it didn't seem that there was anyone inside.
"Mr. Liu Bai," she spoke up, causing the man in white to stop and turn to look at her. "Sorry, but I am dying to know, what is this room?"
"Oh, that room." Liu Bai followed her gaze and stared into the room. He narrowed his eyes, as if scrutinizing the space. "I haven't the slightest. An aquarium, perhaps?"
"...You don't know?" Vanna's brows knit together. She was clearly perplexed. "Don't you work here? I thought you were giving me a tour."
"Work here? Like… an employee? I suppose you could say that, since I perform tasks for our leader occasionally," he answered. "As for the tour, I can't very well tell you things I don't know. Why would I have gone into this room before? The feng shui is abysmal."
"I just thought that you would know your way around," Vanna said. She had no idea what this man was thinking or even talking about, but he seemed… eccentric.
"If it helps, I actually just reside in this building. I only go on missions when Master Quynh requests it of me. My abode is on the floor beneath the penthouse."
His response only served to confuse her further. She echoed, "...Master?"
"Ah, yes, I understand your confusion. I suppose calling him master is a bit generous; you're right." Liu Bai nodded thoughtfully. "We are equal in power and ability, but I am kind and carry respect for him regardless. That is why I give him the honorary title."
"That's not really why I'm confused…" Vanna started, but he didn't bother to listen. He had already started to walk again.
After nearly fifteen minutes of silent walking, Liu Bai and Vanna arrived at a large elevator. She could have sworn it was the same one they had passed when they first started touring, but determined it was likely just because the elevators were all constructed to look alike for uniformity's sake. It was that way in most large buildings, after all.
The man led her into the lift, and when the doors closed, he sighed. Liu Bai looked completely and utterly vexed as he stood before the elevator's buttons. "I do not usually take the elevator. Er, this elevator."
Vanna turned her attention to the selection as well, and took note of how many floors there were. There was a small key beside the buttons that explained the function for each floor. It seemed that the first twelve levels were reserved for business, each floor being its own division of the company, and the latter twenty were primarily personal offices, recreation, and residential. Vanna didn't know that so many people actually lived in the building. It seemed a little odd.
"Which floor is my room on?" Vanna asked.
Liu Bai opened and closed his mouth. He raised a confident finger and pressed the button for the fifteenth level, which was labeled 'pool.' "First, I will show you the pool. It has a lovely fountain, and the windows allow positive energy to flow unhindered."
Vanna watched as the door closed, and bit the inside of her cheek awkwardly. She let out a half-hearted 'ohh' to seem interested, and allowed him to lead her around the pool floor. The place was filled with more hanging plants and earthy tones. It was a very lovely level to explore for a bit, but it got boring and redundant after twenty minutes of him showing her each of the hot tubs and pools.
Eventually, he just started pointing out all of the best locations to meditate, which was when she just zoned out and stopped listening. There was still a lot to process, considering everything that was going on, anyway. She couldn't help but be concerned about why she was being given room and board if she were a suspect to them.
Maybe they didn't bring her back to question her after all?... but that would make even less sense. There was absolutely no reason for the CEO of such a massive company to require her presence. Sure, she had gained a scholarship through a program run by the corporation, so obviously her grades were good — but they weren't good enough to warrant a face-to-face meeting with the guy.
"Damn it, Liu Bai!" A furious shout interrupted both Vanna's thoughts, and Liu Bai's passionate explanation about the energy that one could absorb from sitting beside the fountain.
Shizuka stormed up to them with her arms crossed. "I knew you'd be here! What the hell are you doing? I told you to bring her to Quynh's office at four. So, around fifteen minutes ago."
"I was giving her a tour, just as you requested," the tiger-man replied simply. "I don't remember you giving me such a short time limit."
Vanna shifted her weight uncomfortably. "She really did say it, I heard her—"
"Such impudence," Liu Bai answered, turning his nose up at both Vanna and Shizuka. "Forcing me into a menial task and not even allowing me to finish it. Time is a construct, and a shackle, that humans use as an excuse to rush through everything without proper care. I thought you would be more refined than to use a pitiful excuse like that to shout at me."
Shizuka was about to scold him further, but he quite literally disappeared into thin air. Vanna's eyes widened in shock, and she looked around to see if it had been some trick, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Shizuka nearly popped a blood vessel in frustration. She seemed to rein herself in, though, and instead put a gentle hand on Vanna's shoulder.
"Come with me," she said. "He's ready to see you. I'll show you to your room and give you a proper tour afterward. The visit with Mr. Lê will likely answer all of the questions you're having, too."
Vanna gulped. She felt like nothing more than a small fish in an extremely big pond.